Biggest fraud hunt in history (Aftenposten)

Almost 150 people are now employed full-time in an effort to catch fishing industry fraudsters. The industry itself has hired clergyman – to raise its moral standards. The hunt comes with a price tag of some NOK 200 million, but even so only one per cent of the country’s fish catches are being checked. The fishing industry does not like being labelled as cheaters, but it feels it is worth it if the scandal results in better and simpler regulations in the longer term.

Radical proposals from Labour women (Dagsavisen)

The Labour Party’s women’s movement has thrown a whole armful of kindling onto the political bonfire. They are calling for gays to have the same rights to adopt and undergo fertility treatment as heterosexuals – and all such assistance should be free of charge. At the same time the Labour women want to ban religious schools and abolish native language teaching for children born in Norway. "We hope that these proposals will be adopted as Labour policy," said Karin Yrvin, deputy leader of the Labour Party’s women’s movement.

Immigration is also the importation of violence (Aftenposten/Saturday)

"The benefits of immigration must not blind us to what is wrong. Immigration is also the importation of violence," said Justice Minister Odd Einar Dørum. He is calling for a public debate in which the parties are open and do not "cheat each other". Rumours of a tightening of Norway’s asylum policy have already led to a slowdown in the influx of immigrants, particularly from Eastern Europe.

Love brings more people to Norway than hardship (Aftenposten/Sunday)

The number of people arriving in Norway as part of a family reunification was three times higher last year than the number of people granted asylum or the given right to stay on humanitarian grounds. 12,095 people were granted leave to stay in Norway last year on the grounds of family reunification. Around 4,300 were granted asylum or allowed to stay on humanitarian grounds. In 2000 the number of family reunification cases, at 6,758, was half last year’s figure.

Finance Minister forced to cut indirect taxes himself (Dagsavisen)

Finance Minister Per-Kristian Foss is getting little help from the civil service in his efforts to cut the number of indirect taxes and public charges. "We do not see any need for a simplification of the system or any other changes at this time" is a typical answer which the Finance Ministry has received from the other government departments. The Finance Department sent out a letter in February to all the government departments and the organizations which report to them, asking for an overview of all the indirect taxes and public charges in effect at the moment.

Construction of gas-fired power stations postponed (Dagsavisen/Sunday)

The bitter conflict over the construction of gas-fired power stations toppled Kjell Magne Bondevik’s first government. The last thing the Labour Party did before Mr Bondevik came into office for the second time was to push through a resolution giving the go-ahead for conventional gas-fired power stations. But both Naturkraft and Industrikraft Midt-Norge have now decided to postpone the start of construction work. "I think this is very positive. We have heard repeatedly that a decision to go ahead with the investment was just around the corner, but each time it has been postponed," said the PM.

New arms purchase from Israel (Dagbladet)

While many Norwegians are demanding a boycott of Israeli goods, the Armed Forces are buying munitions from Israel with the approval of the Defence Ministry. The day after Terje Rød-Larsen was declared persona non grata by Israel’s Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, 100,000 rounds of machine gun ammunition arrived in Norway from Israel. Both Foreign Minister Jan Petersen and Defence Minister Kristin Krohn Devold declined to comment on the deal.

Worth Noting

• Foreign Minister Jan Petersen is upset that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is considering throwing UN Special Envoy Terje Rød-Larsen out of Israel. "Mr Rød-Larsen has acted with neutrality and integrity," said Mr Petersen. (Aftenposten)
• "Mr Bondevik is talking nonsense when he says that conventional gas-fired power stations will not now be built. In connection with the Snow White development, the Government has itself proposed the construction of a gas-fired power station which will release carbon emissions," said Sylvia Brustad, Labour energy and environment spokesperson. (Dagsavisen)
• Almost 100,000 people have had to pay too high a fee to get a hunting licence. The Office of the Auditor General has now given the Directorate of Nature Management a rap over the knuckles for not managing to fix a correct hunting licence fee. (Dagsavisen)
• 181 people have disappeared without trace in Norway since 1 January 1997. 127 of these are men, 54 are women. 3,000 people are notified as missing in Norway each year, but the vast majority of these turn up again within a short period of time. (Dagbladet/Sunday)
• In a letter from the Finance Ministry to the EFTA Surveillance Authority yesterday, the Government has reaffirmed its view that the tax breaks it has granted in connection with the development of the Snow White gas field do not amount to state subsidies. (Dagens Næringsliv/Saturday)
• Telenor has saved several billion kroner in tax by means of internal transactions and a shareholders’ agreement. Intra-group share trading has been very profitable. (Dagens Næringsliv)
• Almost 800 fewer women chose to have an abortion last year compared with the year before. The number of abortions last year was the lowest since 1995. (Vårt Land/Saturday)
• During the first three months of this year we bought 14.5 per cent more spirits at the Vinmonopol, the state-owned wine and spirits retail monopoly, than during the same period last year. Wine sales have also increased substantially. An increase in the number of retail outlets, the arrest of several groups of professional liquor smugglers, lower alcohol tax and changes in drinking habits are all factors which have led us to buy more from the Vinmonopol. (Nationen)
• Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik has led two different coalition governments, which have both suffered defeats on the alcohol policy front. Reduced alcohol tax, more liquor stores and the sale of alcopops in supermarkets are just some of the issues on which these Christian Democrat-led governments have been defeated. (Vårt Land)

Today’s comment from Dagsavisen

First Terje Rød-Larsen’s name was linked to that of Quisling, then Israel’s Director of Public Prosecutions said he believed the UN Special Envoy should be declared persona non grata following his criticism of Israel’s behaviour in the Jenin refugee camp. Israel’s contempt for the international community could not have been demonstrated any clearer. Expelling Mr Rød-Larsen would be totally unreasonable, and any such move should lead to strong reactions from the entire world community.